Archives for January 2015

9 Tips for Choosing a Suitcase You’ll be Happy with …

    You’ve saved hard, you’ve dreamt about that holiday for months, even years but one thing that’s easy to overlook in the excitement of planning your dream holiday is your luggage. Yet, when you travel, the suitcase you choose is really important because it’s going to travel as many miles as you do and it needs to arrive in one piece with your possessions intact and undamaged.   Hubby and I travel quite a bit and decided recently that it was time to update our suitcases. The old ones had travelled many miles, the zip on one suitcase was broken … read more

Raspberry Bliss Balls …

These are a perfect little “after school” snack for hungry kids or ideal for anyone looking for a sweet treat but without the guilt. They also happen to taste just like a Cherry Ripe so that’s an added bonus. These won’t be suitable to send to school in lunchboxes because of the almond meal so do be mindful of that. Enjoy! 4.5 from 2 reviews Raspberry Bliss Balls …   Print Author: Mrs Organised Serves: 26 Ingredients … 1 cup frozen raspberries 1 cup fresh dates (approx. 9 – 10 large dates), chopped roughly with seed removed 1 ½ cups … read more

Decluttering (Part 6) The Importance of Creating a “HOME” for Everything …

  Welcome to Part 6 of the Decluttering Series. Here’s a list of what we’ve covered so far (click on each link to read):   What is clutter?   The benefits of decluttering   When will I find the time to declutter?   Questions you need to ask to help you declutter   A “how to” guide to a less cluttered home and life and where to start   Most of you will have heard the old saying “a home for everything and everything in its place”. It was drilled into me as a youngster and I’m certain it was one … read more

Gingerbread Muffins …

It’s been a big day of baking here today as I fill the freezer with muffins and other baked goodies in preparation for the kids going back to school and uni. Muffins are perfect because they freeze so well and will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. When I’m packing school lunches, I simply take one from the container in the freezer, pop it in the kids lunchboxes and it’s defrosted by morning tea … easy! So, here’s another delicious flavour to add to your collection. Enjoy! 5.0 from 1 reviews Gingerbread Muffins …   Print Author: Mrs … read more

How I Organise and Keep Track of my Prescriptions …

  One of my lovely facebook followers recently asked for some tips and advice on how to store prescriptions, so today I’m going to share the way I organise mine.   Once upon a time, I found it hard to keep track of my family’s prescriptions and I used to lose them all the time. It used to go something like this:   I’d go to the doctor (either for myself or the kids) and, if needed, grab a prescription I would go to the chemist straight away and get the prescribed medicine Then, if the prescription had a repeat for further doses of the … read more

How I Organised my Gift Wrapping Supplies …

  I’ve always been fairly organised but in my younger days, I used to get caught out when it came to presents. Special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries used to creep up on me and I’d find myself running around at the last minute to buy gift wrapping paper, ribbon and cards from the nearest newsagency. This used to cost me a small fortune not to mention cause me heaps of frustration. I eventually decided enough was enough and got myself organised with a supply of all these items and the savings were massive.   Instead of paying $3 – $4 (and … read more

Chocolate Nutella Muffins …

When I’m asked to nominate my favourite muffin flavour, this one is the hands down winner. You see, I’m a chocolate lover and this recipe produces a moist, decadent muffin that you can’t help falling in love with. And the only advice I will give you, is to get these into the freezer as soon as you can … or you just might devour more than one. Enjoy! Chocolate Nutella Muffins …   Print Author: Mrs Organised Serves: 12 Ingredients … 2 cups self-raising flour ⅓ cocoa powder (or substitute with raw cacao) ⅓ cup castor sugar ⅔ … read more

9 Tips for Choosing the Right Containers for your Pantry …

  Organising your pantry can seem like a hugely overwhelming task. You open the doors, it’s a jumbled mess and before long you’ve slammed the doors shut with a promise to tackle the job another day (except “another day” never comes) … sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone and a lot of you have asked what are the best containers to use in the pantry. So today I thought I would share my tips on some things to consider when choosing the right containers to organise your pantry.   The ultimate goal is to store everything so that it’s accessible, visible … read more

Crispy Mars Bar Balls …

These are guaranteed to be a hit … Crispy Mars Bar Balls! You only need 4 ingredients and there’s no baking required. I made these today to take to my niece’s Birthday party and it was hard work getting my kids not to eat them before we left. Maybe next time I should make a double batch! 4.0 from 1 reviews Crispy Mars Bar Balls …   Print Prep time 15 mins Total time 15 mins   Author: Mrs Organised Serves: 15 balls Ingredients … 2 x Mars Bars (53g), roughly chopped 2 tablespoons butter 1 ¾ cups Rice Bubbles Sprinkles … read more

Back to School … Tips for Buying New School Shoes …

  Well, it’s that time of the year again and there is so much to think about ….. uniforms, book lists, lunchboxes, timetables, sport shoes and, of course, school shoes. I’m lucky now that I only have to buy one pair but it wasn’t all that long ago (when all three girls were still at school) that I had to budget for three pairs. School shoes have always been a priority for me because kids are incredibly active and will spend many hours every day in their shoes, so it’s important that their shoes fit well, are comfortable, offer the right kind of support and also … read more

Gingerbread Men …

Making Gingerbread Men is so much fun and a great cooking activity to share with kids. My girls have always enjoyed making and decorating these little guys and we’ve now got quite a collection of cookie cutters in all shapes and sizes. A great recipe to make on the weekend to include in lunchboxes through the week, these biscuits will store well in a sealed container for up to a week. This is also a lovely recipe to make at Christmas time to give out as gifts. Enjoy! Gingerbread Men …   Print Author: Mrs Organised Ingredients … ¾ cup … read more

Back to School … Tips for Choosing the Right Lunchbox …

  I like my kids to start each year with a new lunchbox because I figure, after a year of crumbs and spills, it’s time for an upgrade. When they were younger, Santa used to always bring them a new lunchbox and drink bottle, but now that they’re older I simply buy a new one at the start of every year.   Here are the features I look for when choosing a lunchbox/lunch bag:   Size – while you don’t want it so big that it takes up too much of your child’s school bag, it does need to be big enough to hold sufficient food for the day as well as ice … read more

Back to School … Organising Stationery Supplies …

  While it might seem early to be thinking about getting organised for “Back to School”, these last few weeks of the holidays will whip by in no time at all. A little bit of planning and organisation will eliminate any stress and frustration. Below is a system that I’ve used for over 20 years of organising my kids school supplies and, for me, it’s worked … maybe it will work for you too:   Start early … there’s nothing worse than running around in a frenzy only days before school starts. Not only will you potentially run out of time but particular items … read more

Coconut Snowballs … One Recipe … 4 Ways …

I love a recipe that’s versatile … a recipe where you can take the basic ingredients and create more than one version of it. This is such a recipe … Coconut Snowballs. Make the basic recipe and dip the balls in white chocolate, take the same recipe and roll the balls in coconut and finally, to create an adult version, add some glace cherries to the original mixture (not all kids will like glace cherries) and then roll in either white chocolate or coconut. One recipe … 4 ways … love it! Coconut Snowballs … One Recipe … 4 Ways …   … read more

Cranberry and Orange Muffins …

Welcome to 2015 and Happy New Year to you all ! Let’s kick off with one of my favourite muffin recipes … Cranberry and Orange Muffins … perfect for morning teas and lunchboxes. Why not whip up a batch and freeze them in preparation for the kiddos heading back to school. Cranberry and Orange Muffins …   Print Author: Mrs Organised Serves: 18 Ingredients … 2 cups plain flour 2 tspns baking powder ¼ tspn bicarbonate of soda 1 cup castor sugar 1 cup dried cranberries ⅓ cup orange zest, loosely packed 170 g butter, melted and slightly … read more